#initial-load-header-loader { visibility: hidden!important; } #initial-load-content { visibility: visible!important; } .expandable .expandable-control { display: none!important; } .expandable .expandable-content { display: block!important; visibility: visible!important; max-height: none!important; height: auto!important; }

reading

[ree-ding]

|

noun

the action or practice of a person who reads.

Speech. the oral interpretation of written language.

the interpretation given in the performance of a dramatic part, musical composition, etc.: an interesting reading of Beethoven's 5th Symphony.

the extent to which a person has read; literary knowledge: a man of wide reading.

matter read or for reading: a novel that makes good reading.

the form or version of a given passage in a particular text: the various readings of a line in Shakespeare.

an instance or occasion in which a text or other matter is read or performed, usually without elaborate preparation and often as a means of testing its merits: The playwright wants to have a reading of the play for prospective producers.

an interpretation given to anything: What is your reading of the situation?

the indication of a graduated instrument: The reading is 101.2°F.

adjective

pertaining to or used for reading: reading glasses.

given to reading: the reading public.

Origin of reading

before 900; Middle English redyng (gerund), Old English rǣdinge. See read¹, -ing¹, -ing²

Related formsnon·read·ing, nounself-read·ing, adjective

Reading

[red-ing]

noun

Rufus Daniel Isaacs, 1st Marquis of,1860–1935, Lord Chief Justice of England 1913–21; viceroy of India 1921–26.

a city in Berkshire, in S England.

a city in SE Pennsylvania.

a town in E Massachusetts, near Boston.

a city in SW Ohio.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for readings

account, knowledge, lesson, study, version, examination, learning, translation, education, review, perusal, conception, impression, inspection, understanding, rendering, scrutiny, construction, treatment, rendition

Examples from the Web for readings

Contemporary Examples of readings

He loved that idea, and suggested a potluck dinner of sushi and strawberry smoothies and readings from our favorite books.
My Post-Ultra-Orthodox Wedding
Leah Vincent
March 21, 2014
That said, there are countless activities, from lectures, walking tours, and readings to yoga and gallery openings.
The Second Life of San Miguel de Allende
Michele Willens
February 26, 2014
We would before Christmas compile a thick book of readings for him.
Clinton, Bush, and Obama Speechwriters on How They Made the State of the Union Address
Chris Riback
January 27, 2014
Similar to the readings on exercise equipment, these measurements can vary in accuracy.
How to Better Use Your Data
January 8, 2014
At two or three of her readings, she says, they heckled her.
American Gypsies Are a Persecuted Minority That Is Starting to Fight Back
Nina Strochlic
December 22, 2013

Historical Examples of readings

But the writings and readings of men will not be enough to ensure this.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
The first is that the readings taken with a hydrometer will then be misleading.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
These readings are to be taken with the electrolyte at a temperature of 80° Fahrenheit.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
The battery should be charged several hours before the readings are taken.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte
Readings taken at other temperatures should be converted to 80°.
The Automobile Storage Battery
O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for readings

reading

noun

the act of a person who reads
(as modifier)a reading room; a reading lamp

ability to read
(as modifier)the reading public; a child of reading age

any matter that can be read; written or printed text

a public recital or rendering of a literary work

the form of a particular word or passage in a given text, esp where more than one version exists

an interpretation, as of a piece of music, a situation, or something said or written

knowledge gained from booksa person of little reading

a measurement indicated by a gauge, dial, scientific instrument, etc

parliamentary procedure

the formal recital of the body or title of a bill in a legislative assembly in order to begin one of the stages of its passage
one of the three stages in the passage of a bill through a legislative assemblySee first reading, second reading, third reading

the formal recital of something written, esp a will

Reading

noun

a town in S England, in Reading unitary authority, Berkshire, on the River Thames: university (1892). Pop: 232 662 (2001)

a unitary authority in S England, in Berkshire. Pop: 144 100 (2003 est). Area: 37 sq km (14 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for readings

reading

n.

Old English ræding, "a reading, the act of reading" either silent or aloud, "a passage or lesson," verbal noun; see read (v.)). Meaning "interpretation" is from mid-14c. (in reference to dreams). Meaning "a form of a passage of text" is from 1550s; that of "a public event featuring reading aloud" is from 1787.

Reading

county town of Berkshire, Old English Readingum (c.900), "(Settlement of) the family or followers of a man called *Read."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper